1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical manipulator which has an end effector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In laparoscopic surgical operations, a few small holes are punctured in a patient's abdominal part or the like, an endoscope or a manipulator (or forceps) or the like is inserted into the abdominal cavity through the hole, and operators perform a surgical operation while viewing the endoscopic image. Such a laparoscopic surgical operation is expected to be applied to a broader range of fields, since it imposes little burden on the patient due to the absence of need for laparotomy and it largely reduces the number of days necessary for the patient to recover from the operation or to leave hospital.
On the other hand, a manipulator used in the laparoscopic surgical operation is desired to permit a swift and appropriate procedure according to the position and size of an affected part. Moreover, while using the manipulator, various procedures such as resection of an affected part, suture and ligation are conducted. In relation to such a surgical system, manipulators which have a high degree of freedom in operation and can be operated easily have been proposed (refer to, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,116, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0103491 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0245175).
These manipulators in the related art each have an end effector that is inserted into the abdominal cavity to perform the desired procedure, an operating unit that is gripped and operated by the operator (generally, a surgeon), and a shaft interconnecting the end effector and the operating unit in a basic configuration. The operating unit includes a grip handle that is gripped by the operator, a plurality of motors that actuate the end effector, a trigger lever that gives a command relating to opening and closing actions of a gripper of the end effector, and other predetermined members.
In the manipulator described in the U.S. 2008/0103491, transmission of motive power from the motors to the end effector is conducted by use of wires, for example. Further, small-type motors are used in order to achieve a considerable reduction in weight.